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2014 Community Trauma Report

Picking the right seat for your child can make a big difference.
If it’s good enough to keep fighter pilots and formula one race car drivers safe, it should be the preferred choice for your child. We’re talking about the five-point safety harness, the safest way of fastening a person into a moving vehicle. Most people encounter the five-point harness on infant and child car seats, securing your most precious cargo above both shoulders, across the waist and between the legs.
“There should be no rush to move your child out of a five-point harness,” said Jennifer Northway, director of adult and pediatric injury prevention at University Health System. “A car seat with a five-point harness provides the best protection in a crash. Some car seats with a harness can be used with children up to 65 pounds.”
When you move a child too soon into an ill-fitting adult lap and shoulder belt, it can injure them in a crash — especially if they reposition the belt because it’s uncomfortable.
“If it doesn’t fit well, they’re going to stick it behind their back or underneath their arm. If it’s behind their back, their body will be thrown forward in a crash and cause brain or spinal cord injuries. If it’s under their arm, it can crush their ribcage and cause serious internal injuries.”
When the belt doesn’t fit well, use a booster seat. The purpose of the booster seat is simply so that the adult lap and shoulder belt fits their body correctly.
Here’s how to protect your child:
• Younger than 2 years of age — Use rear-facing car seats.
• Toddlers and big kids — Use a forward-facing car seat with five-point harness if the child is over age 2 and has outgrown the height and weight limits for a rear-facing seat.
• Older, bigger kids — Use a booster seat if the child is below 4 feet, 9 inches tall and has outgrown the weight and height limit of the car seat.
• Ready for seat belts —If knees bend naturally at end of seat, lap belt rides low across hips, shoulder belt mid-sternum or mid-clavicle.
“The longer you can keep them in each stage, the safer they’ll be.”